State Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, wants teacher vaccination to be priority

Noting that the county is administering about 9,000 shots per week, with an expectation that figure could grow with ramped up vaccine availability over the coming weeks, Becker said an opportunity must be offered to teachers.

“Let’s work with the teachers and get it done,” said Becker, who, since his January swearing into the seat previously filled by Jerry Hill, has aggressively advocated for teacher vaccination.

For his part, Becker said he fears countless students are falling behind while online learning arrangements continue to be the standard mode of operating for so many districts. To illustrate his concern, Becker said that the amount of students failing in the Ravenswood Elementary School District is up almost 50% from the year prior.

For perspective, he noted there are only about 160 teachers throughout the Ravenwsood district that serves primarily students from East Palo Alto. And there are about 540 teachers in the Sequoia Union High School District, which serves East Palo Alto, Redwood City, Menlo Park, San Carlos and Belmont, as well as other surrounding communities.

To address concerns regarding learning loss, especially in disadvantaged communities, Becker suggested teachers working with poorer students should be among the first to receive the vaccination. He also favored prioritizing those with health concerns or in the age groups most threatened by the virus.

Further bolstering his point, Becker said Gov. Gavin Newsom has confirmed that teachers are allowed to be included in this round of vaccinations and other counties throughout the state have already starting giving shots to the education community.

David Canepa, president of the county Board of Supervisors, backed Becker’s proposal.

“Providing our teachers with immediate access to vaccinations is the right thing to do for a profession that has always put our children first,” Canepa said in a prepared statement. “In a region known for innovation, I am confident that our county and the state can make teacher vaccinations a reality. In doing so, we will take a major step towards bringing our families a level of normalcy without risking the health and safety of our teachers.”

Ligia Andrade Zuniga, a member of the San Mateo Union High School District Board of Trustees, agreed as well.

“It is imperative that our teachers know that they are returning to COVID-safe environments. I encourage policymakers to prioritize vaccinating our teachers so our kids can get back to the classroom,” she said in a prepared statement.

Becker said he has also worked with San Mateo County Superintendent Nancy Magee on the proposal, and that the county Office of Education is advancing the initiative by identifying other essential workers in the education system who may need vaccinations too.

Becker said he has reached out to the private school system to get a sense of how many additional educators may need to participate in the local effort. But he balanced that perspective by acknowledging many in the private school system have been back in the classroom for months, and that those institutions often have the resources needed to keep their school community safe.

Vaccinating teachers has been a key issue in the push to reopen classrooms largely shuttered throughout the county nearly one year ago. Some parents have aggressively advocated for classroom reopening, but many educators have been reticent to return until they are certain the environment is safe. Locally, rallies are planned Wednesday, Feb. 10, to urge classroom reopening immediately.

Despite his enthusiasm, Becker acknowledged the complications associated with the proposal.

For instance, he noted there are nearly 1,000 police officers who should be eligible for vaccine prioritization, and he proposed allowing them to participate in this round as well. Further, he said there is coordination that must take place with private health providers to facilitate the rollout.

But noting the county’s success so far in establishing an efficient mass vaccination program, Becker shared confidence his proposal is possible, while recognizing the urgency of making it happen before the end of the school year.

“I feel like this does need to happen in the next few weeks to ease the path to coming back,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com